Korea divided

Philippe Rekacewicz, November 1994

North and South Korea, which have been separated since 1953, held their first summit meeting of heads of state in June 2000. The South Korean leadership is seeking a rapprochement in order to put an end to deployment of North Korean artillery along the frontier and to limit its own nuclear arms and ballistic missile programme, whereas the North is looking for economic aid and the withdrawal of the US military.